Focuses on seven types of essays -- covering each individually, in depth, in its own chapter -- and featuring a mix of traditional and innovative writing assignments:

• The Personal Essay (narrative).
• The Observation Essay.
• The Evaluation Essay.
• The Problem/Solution Essay ("call to action").
• The Research Essay -- complete with the newest 1998 MLA guidelines for electronic citations, and an innovative "series of steps" approach to the often daunting research process.
• The Issue Paper -- a creative style of argument paper, centered on psychologist Carl Rogers' principles: the so-called Rogerian essay.
• The Creed Essay -- that encourages writers to examine their moral decision making process.

Structures each essay-writing chapter in the same format:

• Something to Think About -- an intro. and overview.
• Getting Started -- shows the different ways in which each essay's construction will be beneficial to students, not just this semester, but in their futures.
• Warmups -- small writing assignments inside each chapter that allow students to try out the essay ideas before they write their own essay.
• The Essay Assignment.
• Sample Essays -- (two or three in every chapter) -- written by freshman-level students (with an occasional "professional" essay).
• Questions -- about the sample essays. These ask students to comment on some of the essential essay elements the writer has worked on, to rewrite a bad section of text, or to explain what they think the sample essay writer should do next.
• While You're Writing -- provides hints and ideas to consider as students actually work on their essays.

Features workshop/conference-style student writing samples (as well as some professional models).

Includes substantive resources for using the computer in the classroom:

• Provides a primer on incorporating, integrating, and using the computer in the classroom -- including full discussions on the "virtual" class, and distance learning.
• Offers a primer on Internet Tools and researching on the Internet.
• Lists 50 Hot Links to WWW sites where students and instructors can research and learn more about composition and writing.

Specifically discusses and instructs on use of the influential Daedelus writing software.

Features a section on academic writing, e.g.:

• Research writing (including the 1998 MLA guidelines for electronic citations).
• Literary criticism -- with two excellent pieces of contemporary American literature: Henry Taylor's Pulitzer Prize winning "At the Swings," and Frederick Barthelme's story "Fish" (and critical topics suggested for each reading).
• In-class exam writing and writing essay tests in other disciplines.

Covers "real-world" writing -- job application letters, resumes, and letters to the editor, etc.